


Nepenthe

by MasterFinland



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Love, Mentions of past abuse, No Angst, No Romance, Other, Parent-Child Relationship, Short & Sweet, Sweet, Unconventional Families, mentions of mental issues, no actual angst tho, no romantic relationships, truly pure and good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 18:04:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10576608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasterFinland/pseuds/MasterFinland
Summary: Everything he learned about love, he learned from her.Or: Sesshoumaru reflects on the meaning of his love for Rin





	

Sesshoumaru’s fingers drummed idly against his leg, the action appearing to be nothing more than slight twitches of the pale, thin digits. He watched the girl run around silently, watched her with calculating and careful golden eyes, pupils almost catlike. He was focused on her, focused on their surroundings.

 

He could hear grass swishing with the wind, could hear the animals behind him in the forest- the deer, the birds, the rabbits- could hear Rin’s squeals of laughter, Jakken’s indignant squawks and protests as to what the girl was doing.

 

He took a deep breath through his nose, making no sound as he did so, his eyes never moving from their trained spot on his charge and servant. He sniffed the air; he could smell the fragrance of the flowers in the meadow- _kikyo, tsubaki, sakurasou._  He could smell the distinctive scent of noninvasive, non-harmful oni wandering in the forest, could smell the scents of each animal, could tell exactly how many deer were in a twenty kilometer radius.

 

His eyes dilated as his attention turned back to his two travelling companions. The imp was shaking his stick at the girl now, not meaning any real harm, never meaning any real harm. He was quite fond of her, despite the way he acted. Rin laughed at him, throwing a handful of grass from her arms- the blades causing the little green toad to sputter as they covered his face- before falling into a soft patch of flowers. Sesshoumaru’s shoulders involuntarily relaxed at the sound of her deep, uncontrollable belly giggles.

 

“Rin.”

 

She perked up, moving into a sitting position almost immediately. “Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?” She called loudly, cocking her head to the side. She didn’t need to yell, he could hear her just fine, but he never corrected her. He knew it made her feel normal to have to yell like that to get him to hear. It made her feel safe, large eyes inquisitive and innocent. He didn’t understand how she could still look that way- young, innocent, untouched and unhurt by the world- after all that had happened to her.

 

He supposed humans always were and always would be strange creatures.

 

“You’ll dirty your dress.”

 

“Oh!” She gasped, quickly getting up and patting off the front of her dress. “My apologies, Sesshoumaru-sama!”

 

He made a soft noise to himself, one he knew she wouldn’t be able to hear, giving her the smallest of nods. Her body relaxed, a grin lighting up her face as she realized her lord had not been upset, not at all, had simply been looking out for her.

 

Jakken made more noise, obnoxious squawks and other irritating sounds Sesshoumaru couldn’t make out, and Rin turned her attention back to him without thought. As they began to play again, the daiyoukai allowed himself a brief moment of rest, of relaxation, and closed his eyes, sighing silently through his nose. He tilted his head back against the trunk of the tree he was sitting against.

 

_Is this what father meant by something to protect?_

 

_This little girl, with her large heart, with her kind smile?_

 

_Rin?_

 

It must have been.

 

The demon lord allowed himself the barest hint of smile, golden eyes still closed.

 

It must have been.

**Author's Note:**

> *clutches chest*  
> so I've been getting back into Inuyasha, and Rin and Sesshoumaru's relationship really tugs at my heartstrings. She made him a better person  
> I love them, I love this show
> 
> https://www.tsunagujapan.com/10-beautiful-japanese-flowers-and-their-meanings/  
> https://en.compathy.net/magazine/2016/07/14/famous-flowers-in-japan/


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